Following news that the United National Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 2024 World Environment Day, Phil Malem, CEO of Serco Middle East comments:

“This is a bold and welcome move from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With so much investment and commitment to safeguard our environment, this announcement will put a spotlight on the sustainable initiatives that the Kingdom is adopting, providing a blueprint for the world to follow. It shows how Saudi is focused on the future, and is positioning itself as a progressive country that is taking decisive action to protect the planet.

“But this move is not surprising. The Kingdom has already underlined that it takes protecting our planet very seriously. The Giga city project focus such as the Red Sea Development has long highlighted the country’s commitment to innovation and providing a sustainable future for its citizens and those visiting. 

“We have been privileged to be part of the Kingdom’s sustainability journey, with our appointment as the managing agent of the full suite of sustainable mobility services across Saudi Arabia’s visionary new tourism destination, The Red Sea, underlining just one way in which we are helping the country to realise its environmental goals. For this project, our focus is on creating a world-class, net-zero mobility experience for guests visiting the carbon-neutral destination. This will see us support with the oversight of the operations and maintenance, performance management, health and safety, and guest experience across the development, which is set to rely on multiple modes of green transport across land, marine, and air – from seaplanes and boats to buggies.

“Essentially our focus here is on the customer experience, and this is where the country has a real chance to win big. People are now more socially conscious than ever before; they want to protect the environment and feel that they are holidaying with purpose. At the same, they’re demanding of world-class experiences, and this is where Saudi, with its space, expertise, and investments, can provide the ultimate fusion of sustainable and luxury travel for the consumer. 

“And by the hosting of World Environment Day, it has the chance to show to the planet, how it is accelerating the sustainability agenda. Whilst there’s lots still to do, we should applaud the efforts of Saudi in hosting this important day – it sends a clear signal out of the country’s intention and the world should stand up and take notice. We can imagine that going forward there will likely be more news and announcements about sustainability initiatives taking place to in Saudi; and for that, we hope it becomes a best-practice example for the rest of the world to follow.”